Here's The Right Way To Remove Excess Oil From French Fries

Anyone who enjoys making fresh, crispy french fries at home, probably does the same thing when it's time to pull them out of the oil; you drop those searing, hot taters onto a paper-lined plate or paper-lined bowl. The paper towel is a great oil absorber, helping with any excess grease that may have accumulated on your fries, however, the moisture that collects between the paper towel and your freshly fried food might lead to some soggy bites. We recently discovered a better way to remove excess oil from your french fries and all you need is cooling rack.

A cooling rack may feel like one of those frivolous, single-use tools for space-limited kitchens, but we think it's completely worth the relatively minimal investment. A 2-pack of cooling racks from the Ultra Cuisine Store costs around $25 and will get plenty of use, we promise. On the fry front, we recommend you place these cooling racks on top of a baking sheet (you can line it with parchment paper or paper towels for easier clean-up) and then dump your finished fries on top as you season and remove excess oil from them. Creating a pocket of space between the fries and what they're sitting on helps with air flow and circulation, ensuring that your fries stay extra crispy. But don't wait too long to dig in, french fries are best enjoyed within a few minutes of frying — basically, as soon as you're out of the burning-your-mouth zone. 

If you're really in a pinch and don't have a cooling rack, there is a chopstick hack you can use when waiting for freshly baked items to cool, but we don't recommend it for removing excess oil from fries because that might result in some ruined chopsticks. A cooling rack is really the way to go, especially when trying to avoid soggy bottoms. Basically, any crispy food — whether it's fried chicken, roasted veggies, or french fries — is enemies with moisture and that's why it's always important to keep as much air circulating around any food that relies on a crunchy outer coating (this same rule applies to bread, muffins, and cookies). Plus, a good cooling rack is oven-safe and can serve as a baking rack too.

If you're one of the rare humans with enough self-restraint not to finish a basket of fries in one sitting, then you'll want to have your french fry reheating tips down. Placing your leftover fries on your cooling-rack-turned-baking-rack, and popping them in the convection oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (or regular oven at 450 degrees) for about 10 minutes will help bring them back to their crispy glory.